Dr Khuất Việt Hùng, Vice Chairman of National Committee for Traffic Safety, delivers the presentation at FIA Region II Round Table on Thursday in Hà Nội. — Photo courtesy of AIP Foundation

HÀ NỘI — The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Region II Roundtable gather FIA Member Clubs from Asia-Pacific in Hà Nội, Việt Nam on the theme ‘Reconnecting in Hà Nội’ on September 21-23, at the invitation of FIA Members Automobile Association of Việt Nam (AA Vietnam) and AIP Foundation.

The meeting has focus on discussions on mobility challenges and opportunities in the FIA Region II Asia Pacific, which is made up of 24 countries, 19 Clubs and 35 million members.

For two days, over sixty delegates, speakers and FIA executives will discuss the future of mobility in the Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on tourism, road safety, sustainability, youth engagement and innovation. It will be the first physical FIA Region II Roundtable held since the outbreak of COVID-19.

FIA Deputy President for Automobile Mobility and Tourism Tim Shearman will be joined by FIA Region II President Greig Craft, hosting the Roundtable as AA Việt Nam and AIP Foundation President, FIA Senate President Carmelo Sanz de Barros, FIA Secretary General for Automobile Mobility and Tourism ad interim Onika Miller, FIA Director of Tourism Services Habib Turki and FIA Foundation Executive Director Saul Billingsley, along with other FIA experts and external speakers.

AA Việt Nam became a Member of the FIA in September 2018, establishing the first FIA Automobile Club in Việt Nam. AA Vietnam offers various mobility services to its members and seeks measures that ensure greater road safety within the country through its partnerships with leading car dealers and manufacturers.

To increase its positive impact on society, AA Vietnam profits are re-invested back into road safety projects, advocacy, environmental and climate matters, member benefits, and charitable activities.

Greig Craft, President of FIA Region II, President of AA Vietnam and AIP Foundation, delivers opening remark. — Photo courtesy of AIP Foundation

AA Vietnam’s strong commitment to lead road safety actions centres around education, infrastructure, research, advocacy and communication, and has been impelled by its President Greig Craft who has been a leading road safety advocate in Việt Nam and globally for over 20 years.

After moving to Việt Nam in 1989, Craft created the AIP Foundation in 1999 to prevent road fatalities and injuries in Việt Nam and low- and middle-income countries of the region. He initially focused on widespread helmet use as a habit for drivers in Việt Nam. Craft and a team of international specialists and designers developed the world’s first “tropical” helmet, a lightweight, low-cost motorcycle helmet appropriate to warm and wet climates like Việt Nam.

In 2001, Craft established AIP Foundation’s social enterprise helmet factory, Protec, which became noted internationally as a producer of affordable, climate-appropriate helmets. This was hailed a ‘silver bullet’ in child injury prevention.

Protec is a social enterprise employing persons with disabilities in Việt Nam and aims to provide a product for people at all levels of the economic pyramid. Craft has since continued to expand his focus to other road safety issues including pedestrian safety, speeding, driving skills, safe school zones, and industrial worker education.

As members of the FIA, AIP Foundation and AA Vietnam work closely together to advance impactful road safety initiatives and drive effective change. Both organisations collaborate with the Vietnamese Government to promote the use of safe and certified helmets and establish programmes to increase children safety in school zones.

In March 2022, AA Vietnam collaborated with FIA Member Clubs, the Automobile Association of Cambodia (AAC) and the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) to launch the 'Power of No' campaign. Developed in partnership with the Asia Pacific International Spirits and Wines Alliance (APISWA), this public awareness campaign aims to save lives of vulnerable populations across the ASEAN region, change cultural norms around drink driving, and normalise responsible drinking practices for young road users.

The ambitious campaign targeting young adults aged 18-30 in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Việt Nam has proven successful. In the first six weeks after its launch, the digital campaign saw impactful results with over 23 million people reached, more than 380,000 ‘likes’, comments, and shares on social media, and 93 per cent of people saying they feel compelled to say “NO” to drink-driving after watching the ‘Power of No’ commercial video. A follow up project “Friends don’t let friends drunk drive” will soon be launched around the F1 Grands Prix in Singapore and Japan, and the Macau Grand Prix.

By hosting the FIA Region II roundtable, AA Vietnam and AIP Foundation will reassert their commitment to leverage the collective power and expertise of the Region’s Members through stronger collaboration. — VNS